Imitation Lucky Charm
by SuddenlyStarfruit
Summary: Clare finds an old lucky charm that reminds her of a certain childhood friend. Clare/Jake.


**IMITATION LUCKY CHARM**

_**AN: Hello everyone! Here's the Cake fic I promised you. It's a bit different than the Cake we know after tonight. So maybe it's slightly OOC but I tried to stay true to the Jake and Clare from Love Game. Also I don't know if Jake's mom is dead anymore, but she is in this fic so... yup. There's some Glen/Helen lovin' here too if you like that sort of thing. This is a one shot. **_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Degrassi. Otherwise Cake would be more like this! _**

_**Dedication: This one goes out to Sarah! I hope I didn't let you down, hun~**_

The back of the wooden bedroom door felt cool against her skin and Clare Edwards welcomed the feeling with a relieved sigh. It felt like everything had gone wrong that day. Katie had demanded she write yet another draft of her last article, she had tripped in hallway in front of everyone, including Eli and Imogen, and worst of all she had come home to find her mother kissing- correct that- making out with none other than Glen Martin in her living room. The episode had left Clare feeling more than a little distressed. She had suspected something was going on between her mother and Glen, but seeing it was something else entirely. Clare's eyes lazily roamed her room trying to piece together something familiar but it didn't work. She was just too drained to try anymore today.

Clare felt the vibration of her mother's knock before she realized what she was hearing.

"Clare, honey?" Helen Edward's voice pleaded from behind the door. "I thought maybe we could talk for a sec?"

"It's okay Mom! It's not about you… and Glen, I'm just really tired."

"Well, okay. But I want to talk to you in the morning. Goodnight, Clare."

Actually Clare had a lot to say about her mother and Glen, but Clare knew she had to keep quiet. She did want her mom to be happy, she really did. It was just hard seeing her with someone who wasn't…Dad. Things had changed a lot recently. Even though her parents agreed to share the house it had become increasingly obvious that Helen and Clare would be staying at home while Randall lived at the condo. And the truth was Clare really missed her father. The fact that Glen came over almost every day was not making her feel any better. It wasn't that she disliked Glen, but he could never be her father and she resented the unspoken implications that Glen was slowly taking Dad's place. It was times like this Clare really wished she had demanded her father's watch back from Eli.

"ah!" Clare smiled as she realized there might be something else that could help her instead. Sliding onto her stomach Clare stuck her upper body under her bed. She blinked; noting the stray bobby pins and clothing tags that had taken haven among the dust bunnies and small storage containers. Reaching a hand out, Clare grabbed one such storage container: a pink one decorated with golden star stickers and glitter paint that spelt out "Clare's Treasure" in messy cursive letters. Clare had almost forgotten about the box, she hadn't put anything in it since middle school when she stuffed it under her bed for safe-keeping. Clare held her breath as she backed out from under the bed dragging stray dust balls with her. For a moment she simply sat on the floor admiring the handy work of a younger version of herself. Maybe the handwriting needed work, but the decorations were certainly eye catching.

Clare couldn't help but let out a giggle as she crawled onto her bed. With eager hands she pulled off the sparkly pink lid to reveal the treasure within. The box's contains might not have made any pirates swoon, but Clare felt her breath catch as she slowly took in the assortment of photographs, letters, and memorabilia from her childhood. With a light touch Clare picked up the photograph lying on top of the treasure pile. It was a photo from when she was ten and her family had gone camping. The photo-Edwards family looked like something one might find on a photo insert used to sell frames. Four beaming smiles were plastered on the group who were all gathered around an oversized tackle box. Photo-Randall proudly held up a fairly large northern pike while Photo-Helen held her hands to her face in an obnoxious faux "Oh my!" expression. Photo-Darcy smiled a perfect cheerleader smile and leaned against little Photo-Clare who waved a peace sign with her left hand. Clare examined the photo closely. It seemed like another life time altogether. Or maybe it was just another family, the Photo-Edwards who never existed in the first place. Clare felt her chest tighten and she unconsciously shut her eyes. It was just a photo; there was no need to cry over it. Instead she reached blindly back into the box and felt around for something more hopeful to reflect on. Clare shivered as she felt something soft and furry brush her hand. Instinctively, Clare pulled away and peered dreadfully into the box afraid to find whatever creature had crawled in during the treasure box's time spent under the bed. But there was no mouse or rat or rodent to be found. The creature Clare had brushed against wasn't a creature at all. It was a bright pink lucky rabbit's foot. Not a real one of course, but a gimmick one Clare had bought when she was eight. A rabbit's foot she had purchased at the suggestion of a little boy who told her it would bring her good luck. So much for that!

Clare jumped at the sound of her phone vibrating against her nightstand. She let out a deep breath and reached for her phone noting the name on the screen. Well speak of the devil…

"Hello Jake, what do you want?"

For a moment there was silence on the line. "…Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope! What do you want?"

"Well Ms. Cranky Pants, I was calling to see if you wanted to meet me up at The Dot for a bite."

Clare rolled her eyes. "Honestly after catching my mom with your dad's tongue down her throat, I can't say I'm hungry."

"Um, ew; could have spared me the details."

"Yeah well I figured it would be better to have someone to suffer with." Clare twirled the rabbit's foot in her hand, allowing herself to get lost in the soft feel of its fur. For a moment she let herself go back to that day all those years ago at Jake's cottage. There was something about that memory that made her feel warm. "Hey Jake remember that day we went to the old fashioned general store; the one by your cottage with the wooden bear out front?"

"Huh? Wait, what?"

"You told me I should buy a rabbit's foot because it would give me good luck…"

"…and if anyone needs good luck it's you, Clare!"

Clare rolled her eyes as Jake repeated what he had told her all those years ago. Even now it was obvious he was making fun of her. "Yeah."

"Oh I remember! I remember after that we went swimming in the lake and Darcy wore that hot pink bikini-"

"Okay! Yeah!"

"That was a good day."

Clare could practically hear his cocky grin translate through the phone. But talking about it with someone else made her realize it was a good day. It was a really good day for everyone: her mother, her father, Darcy, Glen, Jake, even Jake's mom… and even herself. "It was. After that we went to the playground and stayed on the swings all night." Clare felt herself grin as she remembered. "Then your mom showed up. She was so mad because we had forgot to tell her where were."

She could hear Jake's laugh over the speaker. Jake had a great laugh, another thing she had forgotten. "ah… She was so pissed! Seriously, my mom never got mad but that day..."

Clare's smile faded as she heard his voice grow softer. Maybe she shouldn't have brought any of this up with Jake.

But Jake's voice broke her thoughts before she could apologize. "Hey, Clare?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there any good playgrounds around here?"

Clare rubbed the rabbit's foot as her smile returned. "You're in luck, Jake Martin. I think I might know of one."

"Oh! Oh! But then she also had this blue sweater- you know the one it was all fluffy and such-"

"Very 2003"

"Yes, it was but it looked so good on her! Your sister was fine. I think she might have been my first love!"

Clare's head fell forward in a laugh. Beside her Jake was rotating in a circle so the chains above him twisted just enough to get a good spin on his swing. He looked so much younger here on the playground- more like the Jake she had known when they were younger than the "heartthrob" who had sauntered back into her life. Or maybe he just seemed that way because they had spent the last hour reminiscing about the childhood summers they spent together- and the various attractive outfits Darcy had worn. Clare couldn't deny it- it had been nice.

Even silences like this were comfortable for them. Clare's gaze felt to the glittering sand beneath her feet. With a pointed sneaker Clare drew one half of a heart and then another. Jake stopped spinning and leaned forward to see what she was doing.

"It's weird seeing them together."

Jake didn't take his eyes off the sand drawing as Clare spoke. And for a few minutes he didn't speak either. Clare turned to face him searching to meet the eyes of his downcast face. "I don't mind." Clare felt a twinge of sadness at his words. Maybe things were different for Jake than they were for her. "I want my dad to be happy but-" Jake's whispered words were nearly lost in the wind as he continued and Clare found herself inching her swing closer to his as she strained to hear him. "Helen… she's not my mom."

And for a moment there were no words between them. Clare grabbed the chain of Jake's swing bringing him to a swaying halt. Jake didn't protest as she pulled their swings together taking the two inner chains in her left hand- bonding them together. Jake let his forehead rest against the chains. For the first time all night Clare looked into his eyes- really looked into them. "You're lucky she's not." Jake lost it pushing back on the swing and breaking them apart with a wide grin on his face. Clare let out genuine laugh before turning her eyes back to the heart. Next to her Jake started swinging back and forth, slowly climbing high and higher, and reaching for the quickly fading sun. Clare didn't look up as she asked her next question: "What do you miss most about your mom?"

Jake didn't miss a beat: "Her cooking!" Clare smiled as Jake's voice rang out over the now abandoned playground. Before Clare could make another comment, her companion let go of the swing's chains and awkwardly tumbled through the air before hitting the ground with a resounding thud. Clare didn't have to turn around to know he did not stick the landing.

"I'm serious!" Clare called out to the empty playground. Jake didn't respond, instead he strolled up behind her and grabbed the chains above Clare's head. She tipped her head back playfully as he looked down at her. He had a warm smile on his face but Clare saw the sadness behind it. She held his gaze with purpose. "I'm serious."

Jake's smile faintly twitched. "I am too." Jake stepped back pulling Clare's swing with him and lightly gave her a push. "She made this great apple pie-"

"mmm, I remember!"

"With vanilla ice cream."

"And a little cinnamon sprinkled on top."

Clare felt the swing slowly edging higher and higher until she could no longer feel Jake's hands on her back. She was on her own. Jake slouched against one of the swing set's poles. "I don't get to talk about her much."

"You don't have to, Jake."

"No. Actually, it's nice."

Clare let Jake's words sink in for awhile. It was nice just to be out here swinging. But as the daylight began to fade, Clare felt an uncertainty creeping in the back of her mind. And she felt the need to do something about it. "Think I'll get hurt if I jump?"

"Did you bring the lucky rabbit's foot?"

Clare was surprised by the question. She had indeed brought it. Although she was still dubious of how lucky it was. "um… yeah, in my pocket."

"Then you're good!"

And with that blind trust in luck- or maybe Jake, Clare Edwards let go of the swing's chains, soared through the air, and landed face first in the playground's sandy covering. Okay, maybe the lucky rabbit's foot wasn't so lucky.

Jake was also on the ground- in stitches. "Oh man! Face plant!"

Clare pushed herself onto her forearms. "Thank you, Jake Martin for that ever-so-helpful advice."

Jake stood up and playfully skipped over to the sandy-looking Clare "ah, I'm sorry."

"I bet you are."

"Hey let me make it up to you, are you still disgusted?" He reached down and grabbed Clare's right hand. She used her free one to grab his jacket and pulled herself up.

"What?"

"Because I'm hungry-"

"You're always hungry!" Clare brushed the sand off her clothes and sent a pointed look Jake's way.

Jake stopped laughing long enough to fake a serious look for Clare's benefit. "And dinner will be my treat tonight!"

Clare let out an exaggerated sigh while rolling her eyes for Jake's benefit. "Oh well I suppose I don't have any better offers. But don't look so pleased, I still think you're annoying."

Jake looped his arm through hers and led her off the playground. "You think I'm annoying?"

Clare smirked and wiggled her arm free from his. "Yup" Before Jake had time for a comeback she playfully punched him lightly in the arm. "Race ya!" Jake seemed taken aback by Clare's sudden boldness but she dashed off before he could comment.

"Oh Clare, it's cute how you still think you can outrun me!"

Neither of them noticed the pink rabbit's foot left behind in the sand.

_**Hope you liked this one! Did you guys ever have a rabbit's foot? I did as a kid... a bright pink one ;)**_


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